Words: Ganesh Murthy
The new Yamaha MT-09 takes its design cues from its bigger sibling, the MT10 that is yet to come to India. The highlight of the motorcycle is the twin cluster headlamps housed away from the forks. The headlamp cluster comprises four LEDs and LED DRLs that complete a thoroughly badass look. The turn indicators are positioned lower and beside the radiator. The rear also gets a floating cluster that houses four LEDs to create the tail lamp. The tank gets bigger air scoops and the radiator gets new fins that give it a sharper look overall. The rear fender which holds the licence plate is now mounted via the swing-arm. A key aspect of the new bike is a body design where the tail is integrated so that the subframe is 30mm shorter. The height of the newly designed saddle is 820mm and the ground clearance is 135mm.
The motorcycle is powered by a 3-cylinder 847cc engine that produces 113.42bhp and 87.5Nm of torque. It is mated to a constant mesh six-speed gearbox with wet multiplate clutch. The three stainless steel exhausts from the engine integrate as one in the muffler and this feature will contribute to the mass centralisation, claim Yamaha. The exhaust also features a corrosion resistant nano film coating. The MT-09 gets traction control system with two different modes and an off switch and a quick shifter.
The MT-09 continues with a diamond type frame with front telescopic forks and a nearly horizontal link type monoshock but with a lightweight CF die-cast asymmetric swing-arm.
“It is exciting to announce the introduction of the new MT-09 in the Indian market shortly after its successful run globally. The new MT- 09 will reiterate Yamaha’s commitment to offer in India the very best mix of Yamaha’s superior expertise coupled with its unique flair for innovation,” said Roy Kurian, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Yamaha India.